


Healing

by Slouchtonirvana



Series: Healing of Soulmates [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Rape/Non-con Elements, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27253672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slouchtonirvana/pseuds/Slouchtonirvana
Summary: Kaleen lost her soulmate in a war of raiders, and not too long after gets a connection to a new one. Overcome with grief but nothing else left for her, she follows the link.Macready lost his soulmate, his wife, to ferals a couple of years ago. Since then he has been a shell of a man, trying to overcome his own grief when the connection hit him. When the link happened, all he felt was pain and grief from the stranger. Can he move past his own grief and fear, and help his new soulmate find herself in a world that is cruel and harsh?
Relationships: Porter Gage/Female Sole Survivor, Robert Joseph MacCready/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Healing of Soulmates [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989928
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Kaleen was trying to control her sobbing on the train but she couldn’t. It was a long ride back into the Commonwealth, she knew that. Heard people complaining about it. She was so wrapped in her sadness she almost missed it. Another snap in her head, less painful than the one she felt just an hour before. 

She had connected to another mate, and so soon. She started sobbing again, full of grief and fear. Through the connection she only felt comfort. He was trying to comfort her, to console her. Fuck, at least this one was in the Commonwealth. 

She wanted to stop with feeling this way but the grief racked her body, making it hard to breathe. Why she was grieving Savoy so hard was beyond her. Was it just natural to grieve like this for a mate? Was it because he was the first mad to show her any kind of kindness in her life?

She cried the rest of the ride, and stepped off the monorail. She realized she knew little to nothing about the Commonwealth. All she knew was she had a mate, a man who had spent the last hour just sending her comfort. That connection was all she had besides the stuff in her pack. With a deep breath, she followed the link through the wasteland. 

She had been walking for hours, her body screaming at her to stop to the point that her feet were dragging behind her with each step. The sun was coming up now, and she saw a building on the horizon. Some kind of settlement? Her judgement was impaired from grief and exhaustion, so she approached it. 

Outside, a man just waking up was working in a garden. She walked up slowly, her hands in the air to show she was no threat. If these were raiders, they would kill her on sight. A part of her wanted that to happen. The man looked at her and his face showed worry. “You alright, girl?”

Kaleen opened her mouth to answer, then collapsed to her knees, sobbing again. “My mate was killed.” was all she could say. 

“You poor thing. Melissa! Get out here!” 

A woman came out and took one look at Kaleen and grabbed her, cooing and brushing her hair. “Come on, now. Let’s get you inside. Get you some water, alright? It’s going to be okay.”

Inside she dropped her pack at her feet and collapsed in a chair. The link was empty, her new mate must be sleeping. She felt bad for keeping him up so late. The woman brought her a cup. “Can I have some hot water?” Kaleen was taking a bag of coffee out of her pack. 

“Sure, dear. But you should get some rest. Losing a mate is hard on the body.”

Kaleen shook her head. “Already mated with someone else. Not too long after it happened. That is where I am heading.”

The woman nodded knowingly. “Well, let’s get some food and drink in you, alright? You have been through so much.”

The words were more honest than the woman even realized and Kaleen almost laughed. They sat at the table together, and Kaleen offered her some of her precious coffee which the woman gladly took. They sat in silence for a bit and the woman said quietly, “So what was he like?”

Kaleen smiled. “He was a raider. I was a slave.” The woman shifted in her seat. “I know, sounds bad. But he was good to me. He was the first man to be kind to me, in the only ways he knew how.” The tears started again. “I am so sorry, I am just a mess.”

The woman placed a hand over hers. “It’s okay. What about your new mate? What have you gotten so far?”

Kaleen smiled through the tears. “We mated just after it happened, and I was struck with grief. He has tried to be comforting, so maybe he is a good man.” 

The woman returned her smile. “Having a good mate is always worth it. Would you like some more food?”

Kaleen shook her head. “I am going to get back to traveling. I want to travel during the day as much as possible, I don’t know the Commonwealth very well.”

“Oh, just stick to the roads. Minutemen do regular patrols, so they are safe enough. If you find a caravan, see if you can travel with them. A woman traveling alone can be dangerous.”

Kaleen put her pack back on and checked her weapon to make sure it was full of ammo. “Thank you for your kindness, ma’am. Not something I am used to.” With that, she headed back out to the Commonwealth, following the link to her new mate. 

She walked all day, feeling him stir through the link at midday. She giggled to herself, not an early riser. That’s okay. She stuck to the roads like the lady told her, waving at the men who patrolled. She numbed her feelings, pushing them down and deep. 

This was a chance at a new life. A new beginning. A new mate. That got her tears going again. She realized he was getting closer than she expected, he was heading to her as well. That is positive, right? He was seeking her out. Part of her brain told her to run, she didn’t know who was on the other side of that link. 

What else did she have? If she ran, he would still find her. 

Her body was tired, her head was hurting. She drank some water she had in her pack, moving on. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

She started seeing guards, well armored as she got to the rubbles of what used to be a city. She heard them talking to themselves, mentioning Diamond City. She must be close to the large city in the middle of the end of the world. 

She was so wrapped up in her own pain and exhaustion, she hadn’t noticed how close her mate was. He moved fast. Sighing, she went inside an abandoned building and took a seat, waiting for him to come to her. She lit a cigarette, it would be soon. 

~~

Macready was tired, but the link had surprised him the night before. The link, then her sadness and pain flowed through. He had stayed up late comforting her until exhaustion took over, then he slept entirely too late. He was moving closer to him, but she was in pain and beyond exhausted. 

The urge to find her took over and he had grabbed his rifle, following the link. He wished she would just stay still and rest, let him come to her, but she didn’t. Stubborn. He liked that. 

He was close, she was just inside an abandoned building. Opening the door, he looked around and saw her. Sitting on an old metal crate, smoking a cigarette, looking down at the ground. 

“Hey.” That’s all he had to fucking say? Jesus fucking Christ. 

“Hey.”

He cleared his throat and approached her. “I’m Robert James Macready. Most everyone calls me RJ or mostly, just Macready.”

She looked down at the floor. “Kaleen.”

“Just Kaleen?”

She nodded. “I don’t have any more names.”

“Are you okay, Kaleen? Did someone hurt you?”

She looked up at him finally and his breath caught. Goddamn fucking beautiful big eyes, filled with sadness that poured over him. “Come on, Kaleen. Let’s get you taken care of.”

Without a word she stood up, putting her pack back on. “Where are we going?”

“Where I live. Goodneighbor. You are safe now, alright? Everything’s going to be okay.”

Kaleen looked down. “Not the first time I have heard that.”

Macready watched her shuffle out the building. She was dead on her feet. There was a story there, and fuck, he knew that sadness, that pain. But he didn’t want to ask her yet, she needed rest and food first. “Not too far from here, okay?”

Without warning she turned to him. “Do you want to finish the link?”

He froze. “That is up to you. What do you want?”

She looked down at the ground, holding out her hand to him. He smiled, and grasped it in his own. The link finished and they both gasped. Then, the sadness washed over him harder. Before the link is fully connected, any emotions coming over the link is watered down. Once the link is finished, it is the full effect. The pain she felt had him choking on his breath. 

“Fuck, Kaleen. What happened?”

She turned her back and they continued to walk together, heading to the gates of Goodneighbor.


	2. Chapter 2

Kaleen walked through the gates of the town with suspicion. The first thing she noticed was that there were a lot of ghouls here. It didn’t bother her, the town must be some kind of safe haven for them. 

Macready led her down an alley and around a corner, to a place called the Hotel Rexford. He opened the door for her. “Here, I can get you a room.”

Looking down at the floor, she asked, “Can’t I just stay with you? New mates have to constantly touch and… Sorry. Forget it, I have caps I can pay for my own room.” 

She turned to walk away when Macready grabbed her elbow. “Hey, it’s fine. I just want you to be comfortable, okay? You want to stay with me, I am more than happy to oblige. Come on, my room is this way.”

They headed up the stairs and down the hall, and Macready opened the door for her. Inside the table tops were cluttered with ammo, empty liquor bottles, and cigarette butts. Kaleen dropped her pack and collapsed in a chair, grabbing a bottle of liquor from her pack. Macready took the seat across from her, and she offered him the bottle after she took several gulps. 

They sat in silence for a while. Macready looked up at her. “What happened?”

“A lot.”

He didn’t say anything to that. She sighed. “I’m just real tired right now, alright? I think I need some rest, and I will tell you everything.”

Macready nodded. “Are you in any kind of danger?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore. But it is a long, and very sad story. I had a mate, and they were killed shortly before I mated with you.” Her lip trembled as more tears threatened to spill. Macready reached over, taking her hand in his. 

“It’s okay to be okay, alright? I promise. I will help you work through this, okay?”

Kaleen nodded. “I know this is a weird question but, do you happen to have any med-x around? I think I need something to knock me out.”

Macready stood. “I don’t have any on hand, but there is a guy in the lobby that sells chems. I will be right back.”

Kaleen handed him her caps. “Here.”

Macready hesitated for a moment then took her caps from her. “Do you want any food?”

Kaleen just shook her head and turned back to looking out the window. Macready was only gone for a few minutes, returning with a handful of chems. “Hold out your arm.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, doing as she was told. That got a raised brow from Macready but he didn’t say anything about it. He pushed the dose in slowly, rubbing her arm where the needle had been after he pulled it out. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

In a matter of minutes, her head started to droop. The exhaustion of the past few days plus the drug had finally taken over. Macready stood, helped her stand up and get over to the bed. He pulled her shoes off. She fumbled with the buckle on her shorts, wanting to be as comfortable as possible, and after a moment’s hesitation he pushed her hands away and unbuttoned her cut off shorts to pull them down. 

She felt him sit on the edge of the bed, his hand rubbing up and down her arm. Then, she closed her eyes and everything went dark. 

~~

Fuck, was all Macready could say in his head over and over. Fuck. His mate has been through some shit. He had pushed down the want that bubbled up when he helped her take her shorts off. It was easy to suppress when he got a look at her body. 

Bruises and scars, all over. And when she called him sir? Fuck, maybe a former slave? He watched her sleep for a bit, holding her hand in his until he was sure she would be good for the night. 

He sat at the table, pounding back a few drinks himself. He never thought he would get another mate, never thought nature would be so cruel. His mate, his wife, had been killed about two years before, and his mind wandered to her. She was sweet, too sweet. Entirely too sweet for him. Too good of a person. Too kind and giving. 

The pain of losing a mate is horrible. Not just the grieving, which is a pain of its own, but the physical pain of losing the connection. Once he was nice and tipsy, and knew he could fall asleep, he checked his mate one last time, grasping her hand and rubbing her wrist with his thumb. He pulled the blanket up over her, then stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers and laid down in the bed next to her, staying on top of the blanket. 

It wasn’t too long until he passed out into a blissful sleep, his mate still and softly breathing beside him. 

Macready woke up first the next morning. He took her hand again, this time allowing himself to run his fingers up her arm, and sat at the table to smoke. Not too long after, she roused from sleep and sat bolt upright, eyes darting around the room. 

“Hey, it’s alright. Remember?”

The fear was hard to miss, but it quickly passed as she wiped emotion away, pushing it down. Fuck, he didn’t like that. He wanted her honest, he didn’t want her to hide anything, but it was too soon for that conversation. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and got up, still only in her tank top and underwear, sitting at the table with Macready. 

He did his best to hide his blush at her naked legs, and her ass barely covered by underwear. 

“Is there any hot water in here?”

Her question snapped him out of it, and he went to the bathroom, filling a kettle with water and putting it on the hot plate to heat. She fiddled with cigarette butts on the table, lighting one for herself. Once the water was boiling she got up, bending over to get something out of her pack and Macready had to cough to cover his groan. 

Fuck, he would be thinking of that mental image for a while. 

She got two cups, scooping coffee in them and pouring hot water over. She handed one to him, and took hers in the chair across from him. 

“Thanks.”

She shrugged, drinking her coffee and smoking. Once her cup was half empty, she picked up the half empty bottle of whiskey and poured some in the cup over the coffee. She held the bottle up to him, and he took it and did the same. 

After some time, she finally sighed, watching out the window. “I was a slave at Nuka World.” Shit, raiders. Fucking raiders. “I was a slave there a while. I got mated to this raider, this asshole high up in a bloodthirsty raider gang.” No fear came over the link, only sadness. “He was a ruthless killer, but he was good to me. We were not mated for very long, but that short period was the happiest I had ever been.”

She took another sip of her coffee. “The fucking bitch overboss, some cunt name Nora with her mate Gage, had it in her fucking mind that the gangs were coming after her. No, they fucking weren’t. But she was too fucking stupid to think about what she was doing. The place was a grenade about to blow. Savoy was killed fighting another gang to protect himself, and me.”

“When it happened, I left. And I was connected to you not too long after, within an hour really.”

Macready felt bad for her. “I knew something happened, I felt your grief. I am so sorry. How long have you been a slave for?”

“All my life. My mama was a slave, mated to an overboss. He sold me when I was ten to raiders that liked little girls.” Macready shifted at that, and swallowed the pit of rage that threatened to come up. “They kept me until I was a teen, until they sold me to a gang that ended up at Nuka World.”

“So you haven’t really known life not being a slave, then?”

She shook her head. “Just the past week or so with him. It was the best week of my life. Maybe I don’t have the best idea what happiness is, maybe the bar is low. But he was good to me.”

Macready didn’t say anything, let her say everything she needed to. When she was silent for a while, he spoke up. “I get it. I understand the pain. I had a mate before you. Lucy. She was a wonderful woman, everything I didn’t deserve. I ran with the gunners at the time. I loved her, and when I lost her…” His voice trailed off. 

“How did it happen?”

“Ferals. We were camping in an old subway that was overrun with them.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Yeah. So I understand the grief, the pain. It gets better with time. I am not going to try to force you into happiness, or anything, really. But I am here for you, and I will do anything you need me to, okay?”

She nodded as his hand covered hers on the table. The small affection was welcome, even if it was because she needed touch as his mate. 

“Do you still run with the gunners?”

“No. I am a merc now, gun for hire. Wish I could tell you I had a better occupation but it pays, and I am good at it. I promise to take care of you, and keep you safe, alright? And you are safe here in Goodneighbor. Town is well protected and guarded, and the mayor is all about protecting those that need it.”

He watched her bring a leg up, sitting a foot on the chair as she hugged her knee. He forced himself to maintain eye contact and not look at her thigh. She smiled. “I can feel that.”

He jerked his eyes away. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know it is just nature, a natural thing but I can pretend it is flattering.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. He needed to get a read on her personality before he started being honest with how he felt. 

~~  
Kaleen spent the next few days in a cloud of sadness and self pity. Macready was more than willing to indulge her, bringing her food and smokes and booze. He sat with her, talking for hours on end. He would hang out at the Rail in the evenings, waiting on jobs to come in. He would only stay gone for a few hours, to come back and hold her hand to keep the pain away. 

He didn’t ask anything of her, didn’t want anything from her. She had hoped he would be more like Savoy, demanding and expecting of her. He wasn’t soft by any means, he made his caps killing but he was kind to her so far. 

She wondered if that was because of the grief. Was he biding his time, waiting for her to be lulled in with a false sense of security before starting in on his bullshit? The panic started worming it’s way in her mind as she worried about what her life was to be like. Would he beat her? Would he force her to fuck him, knocking her up and making her have his kids? The anxiety became so strong that she could barely breathe, and she stood over the bathroom sink, clutching the sides of it. 

Macready came in, throwing open the bathroom door, eyes wild and chest heaving. He looked around and saw she was alone and he immediately relaxed. “Breathe, come on. Breathe. Kinda important.” When she couldn’t catch her breath he took a cup and filled it with cold water, splashing it on her face. The shock snapped her out of it. “Fuck.”

“Sorry, I didn't want to have to do that. I felt your anxiety and I got worried, came right back. You okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Just, so much on my mind. I should get out of this room for a bit.”

“Want to come with me to the Third Rail?”

“I don’t want to impede on your customers.”

“Come on, beautiful woman like you would probably increase business.” 

She dropped her head as she felt the heated blush on her cheeks. “Let me get dressed really fast.”

She grabbed some clothes, going back into the bathroom. She pulled on the denim cut offs that were a bit too short, and the tank top. She took a rag and washed her arms and legs, wiping off the sweat of being in a depressed self pity party. She went back out in the room, finger combing her long hair and pulling it into a loose braid, draping it over her shoulder. She pulled on her shoes and looked up to see Macready staring at her. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing. You ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” She shoved her cigarettes in her bag of caps and walked out the door with him. Walking down the stairs, she looked at the bag in her hand. 

Savoy gave her these caps. So she wouldn’t need to worry about making any for a while.   
“What’s wrong?” Macready’s arm came around her waist. 

She thought about lying, but that is no way to start a relationship. “This bag of caps. He gave them to me, just before he was killed. He knew there was a chance he wouldn’t make it out alive, he gave them to me so I could escape.”

Macready’s arm went tighter around her waist. “Sounds like a good man.”

“Yeah, maybe he was.”

They hung out in a smaller room set off the side of the main bar, sitting at a table drinking and listening to the blues singer belt out tune after tune. Kaleen was actually enjoying herself. Macready was good company. He was good for conversation, had a great sense of humor. Dry and dark. He also allowed the moments of silence between them, not forcing conversation to take up every moment together. 

They were both getting delightfully tipsy, mildly flirting with each other, when two men walked into the room. Kaleen expected them to be customers so she sat back and let Macready do business.

The taller man spoke first. “Hey, Macready. Heard you are still taking jobs in our territory. Not too pleased with that.”

Kaleen got aggression through the link, much more than she expected from Macready, but he remained calm. Except for clenching of his jaw. She was slightly drunk so she decided to have some fun, knowing how rival raider gangs act she could diffuse this hopefully. Or just mess with them at least. 

“Oh! You must be mayor of Goodneighbor! So happy to meet you, I have heard so much about you!” She planted the fake smile on her face as she leaned forward. Macready was staring at her with a brow raised. 

The shorter guy turned to Macready. “Your bitch stupid or something?”

Macready growled, but Kaleen waved him off. “Oh, we won’t let some mild language get under our skin. If I am mistaken, I am deeply sorry. See, you said he is taking jobs in your territory. He takes jobs here in Goodneighbor. Therefore, using my critical thinking skills, I was able to deduce that your territory is Goodneighbor.” She blinked up at him, head cocked. “If you are not the mayor of Goodneighbor, perhaps we should call him in here and see what he thinks about you assuming this is your territory.”

The tall guy pointed at Macready. “I don’t know what her deal is, but you can’t be taking anymore fucking jobs.”  
“Winlocke, why don’t you take your girlfriend and go have a nice evening out instead of coming here to bother me?” Macready quipped. 

Kaleen snorted. So he did know them. The shorter guy whined, “Do we really need to be standing here taking this?”

Kaleen crossed her legs at her feet. “What else do you have in mind? I believe you are a bit outnumbered. Fuck, Macready alone outnumber both of you but far be it from me to point out your lack in masculinity.”

It was Macready’s turn to snort. Winlock turned to the short guy. “Come on, Barnes. Let’s get out of here.” He pointed at Macready. “This ain’t fucking over. Not by a long shot. We will be coming for you eventually.” 

They turned to walk out and Kaleen couldn’t help poking at them one more time. “Looking forward to it, sweetpea! Enjoy your evening together!”

Kaleen waited for them to be well out of the bar before the smile left her face and she turned to Macready. “Spit it out.”

“Remember how I said I was a former gunner? Yeah, used to work with those guys. Gunners don’t like it when you leave. They don’t really see me as not being a gunner, they just see me as not giving them the caps I make. Been trying to save up to buy my way out.”

“Why not just kill them?”

“Because it isn’t just them, there is a whole group of them wanting to off me. I can’t take all of them out.”

It was probably a mix of the alcohol, the exhaustion, grief, and mild lust she was feeling, but it came out before she thought about it, “I’ll help you.”

He perked up. “Can you fight?”

“I am good with a gun. One of the raider gangs I was with trained me. Not good close up but I can take people out with a shotgun. That surprise you?”

“Not really. Look, you don’t have to do that, alright? It’s my problem.”

“Hate to tell you, but your problem is my problem. I don’t want to lose another mate, okay? Especially to people that stupid. That would be insulting.”

He laughed at that. “I’ll give you that one. Alright. I will think about it, okay? It is nice seeing you come out of your shell. Even if it is booze induced.”  
“Booze and good company help.”

Macready smiled at her, and they finished their drinks and headed back to their room. Kaleen was more than a little drunk, and the fresh night air hit her face and made her even more tipsy. She must have been wobbly, because Macready put an arm around her waist as they walked back to their room, helping her up the stairs. 

Once inside, she used his shoulder to lean on while she kicked off her boots. He sat in a chair to take off his own, and when she started undressing in front of him he waited a few seconds before turning his head away. Throwing on a large shirt and nothing else, she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him up to standing. He pretended to be reluctant but came up easily.

She grabbed his hands and pulled them past her, and they wrapped around her waist easily. Smiling, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her. He was a bit taller than her. Shorter for a man, but as petite as she was he still stood over her. She pulled his head down so she could stand on her tiptoes and press her lips to his. 

She didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath, or how his hands grasped her tighter for a moment. He jerked away from her, just a few inches. “We shouldn’t. Not right now.”

“Why not?” She began pulling him to the bed with her. She was drunk, she wanted to get over her past mate. Part of her also wanted him over his past mate, she knew he still felt for her and she wanted him to herself. Jealousy is a real bitch. 

He let her pull him down on the bed, crashing on the mattress on top of her. He looked down at her smiling. “I want to. Fuck knows I want to. You are fucking beautiful, sexy, fucking everything. Hilarious. Great to hang around. But, you are also drunk.” He kissed her throat. “And I kind of am, too. I don’t want our first time to be muddled with booze.”

“So you do want me?”

He looked down at her, frowning. “Of course I do. What makes you think I don’t?”

“You haven’t made a move on me, you haven’t touched me beyond just keeping me from being in pain.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t meant it that way. I was giving you space, giving you time to heal.” His hand came up to brush a lock of hair from her face. “I was worried that if I actually did what I wanted, you would freak out on me and distance yourself from me.” 

She shook her head. “Can’t tell you when I am sober but, I do want more. Maybe it is just biology, maybe it is because my head is broken. But I do.”

He watched her face for a moment, then leaned down, kissing her again. It was sweeter this time. Kaleen caught some of the lust through the link. Lust rooted in some form of endearment? Her tongue pressed against his lips, beckoning them to open and she was rewarded when he groaned, pressing down on her as his tongue pressed against hers. 

When her leg bent up to press against his hip, he stopped and pulled away. “Not now. Sober, okay? I ain’t gonna change how I feel in the morning, promise. I will still want you just as much. Ain’t going anywhere, sweetheart.” He pecked another kiss to her cheek, rolling off of her and pulling the blanket over them. “Now go to sleep.”

She giggled, curling into his side and wrapping her arm around his waist. His hand came to her shoulder, holding her there.


	3. Chapter 3

Macready woke up feeling her head on his chest, arm wrapped tight around him. His arms were holding her there. The night before came back to memory, the kiss and the flirtations. He smiled, glad they made some kind of progress, and proud of his own discipline. When she had pulled him top of her in the bed, kissing him and wrapping her leg around him, it took every bit of strength to now just hold her down and bury himself in her. 

At that thought, his cock started getting excited and getting hard. Fuck, her wrapped around him wasn’t helping. She was soft, her whole body was soft. Unlike him, he was all lean muscle and bone. He thought of what those thighs would feel like wrapped around his head, and groaned at his ability to torture himself. 

She lifted her head up, looking up at him with her chin resting on his chest. “Good morning. Happy thoughts?”

He looked down at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Just proud of the amount of restraint that I had last night, fuck knows I usually don’t hold that much restraint.”

She laughed. “That’s funny. Look, I get itm mates are attracted to one another naturally. Of course you are attracted to me, but you don’t need to pretend it is anything more than biology.”

Fuck, that lack of confidence was a real downer. Of course it wasn’t just biology. He has seen how other men look at her, does she not notice that? How can someone not realize that they turn the head of every person they walk past? 

“Speaking of last night, we need to have a talk.”

Macready froze. Oh, no. Here it comes. She is going to go back on what she told him while shoving her tongue in his mouth. It’s only expected, she was way out of his league.

“The gunners. They are making me nervous, I have been through a lot with raiders and shit. I know you need to work, and I don’t feel comfortable you taking jobs until we take them out.”

“I told you, I would think about it. I need to take jobs so I can take care of you.” Shit, that just slipped out all on its own. 

She gave him that sweet fucking smile and his heart skipped a beat. “I’m not telling you to not take any jobs. I am telling you that we need to take them out.”

“It’s dangerous, alright? Really dangerous. These guys are well armed, and vicious fighters.”

She shrugged. “Maybe if you are lucky someone takes me out with a sniper rifle and you won’t have to put up with me anymore.”

“Hey!” Macready grabbed her shoulder, a red hot pit in his stomach. “Don’t fucking talk like that. I have lost a mate, just like you. I’m not losing another one, you understand me?”

“Sorry. I just have it in my head that you would be happier without me.”

He cupped her cheek. “You know what I did before you came into my life? Sat in here, or the Rail, alone, getting hammered and smoking cigarettes. Then I would get a job and go kill someone. Come back, drink and smoke alone. Every day. I couldn’t even remember the last time I laughed before I met you.”

“I mean to be fair, we drink and smoke a lot, too. Doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.”

“It’s a hell of an improvement, because I am doing it with you. You have made my life infinitely better just by being here. Yeah, we drink and smoke a lot. We also talk, laugh, fuck have even cried a few times. We have felt the pain of a dead mate.” He looked down on her while rubbing her cheek with his thumb. “My life is better with you in it. I don’t want to live a life without you, now. I am not going to risk losing you, and I won’t allow you to lose me. Understand?”

She nodded into his hand. They sat silently for a moment, then she got up, stretching against him as she moved to get out of bed. She sat on the edge, lighting a cigarette. Fuck, her in nothing but one of his oversize shirts, not even any underwear, bed hair and a cigarette in his mouth roused something inside him that he didn’t expect from the image. 

His hand came up to caress her back. “So, before you mated to me, you were heading to the Commonwealth. What were your plans? You didn’t know the area, don’t have anyone. What were you going to do?”

“Find a chems dealer to get enough med-x and jet to overdose on.”

She said it so nonchalantly, so calmly, like she was telling him her plans for the evening. He shot up in bed, sitting up to face her, grabbing her elbow. “That isn’t the plan anymore, is it?”

She shrugged against his hand. “I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so? Why would you solidify the connection between us if that was something you wanted to do?”

“I don’t think I want to do it anymore but I will be honest, the thought is there. I think I am still fucked up with grief.” She turned her sad eyes on him. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to. I don’t want to put you through the pain of losing another mate.”

She stood up, stretching her arms over her head. Macready got to see everything from the waist down, her upper thighs and the cute little pudge of stomach just below her shirt, the soft pile of dark curls covering the spot he thought about running his tongue. He didn’t turn away this time, and let her feel some of the lust through the link. He wanted her to know he wanted her, especially since after last night he learned that she thought he didn’t want her. 

She started boiling water for coffee, making breakfast. He got up and sat at the table, shirtless except for his boxers. He watched her move, she was so fucking graceful. She put a plate of food in front of him, a cup of coffee. She bent over to start picking up clothes on the floor when he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him, almost on his lap. “Hey, don’t do that. You ain’t my slave, or my servant.” Something dark crept over the link, something dark that showed on her face. 

Did she want to be his slave? He wouldn’t mind some kind of roleplay situation but he didn’t want her to be like that anymore. His thumb on her hip moved back and forth. “Sit down and eat with me, huh?”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

“You are never hungry. At least just sit with me, drink your coffee.”

She humored him, sitting in the chair across from him. “I meant it, we need to take out those gunner fucks.”

He sighed. “I know you aren’t going to drop this. Alright, we will do it. We need a plan, because they are well armed, like I told you.”

They sat in silence the rest of the morning. Macready’s mind was wandering. He was trying to control his emotions, he didn’t want her to know he was feeling guilty. He had left out some important information when he told her about his past soulmate: he had a kid. 

Duncan lived in his Homestead in the Commonwealth. He was deathly ill, and Macready couldn’t take care of him and work. So he worked and sent home caps. That was why he stayed with the gunners so long, that was why he left them to make money on his own and put his life in danger continuing to take jobs. He wasn’t sure if she would be okay with a child from another relationship, if she was okay with a child at all. 

He knew he would need to spill the beans eventually, but not yet. He couldn’t go on withholding information for too long, but he wanted her to trust him a little more before he shared the information with her. But she was right about those gunners, they had to go. It wasn’t just him now, they could come after her. 

They got dressed and did their usual evening at the Third Rail, laughing together at the table in the VIP room and flirting with each other. The bar was almost empty most of the night, and they headed back to their room once it started closing down for cleanup. 

They undressed and crawled into bed together. Kaleen laid on her back and Macready reached over, pulling her to his chest. She sighed and curled against him, and they both fell asleep. 

Macready was woken up a few hours later with paralyzing fear that held his whole body. It took him a moment to realize the fear was coming from her. He snapped over to her and saw she was curled away from him, sweating and crying in her sleep. He pressed his chest against her back, speaking calmly to her, trying to wake her up. “Come on, now, sweetheart. Wake up. Need to wake up.”

She started whimpering in her sleep and he shook her shoulder, harder and harder until she awoke. When she did she jolted away, eyes popping wide open to stare at him with a look that frightened him. He shushed her, pushing sweaty hair from her face. “It’s okay. It was just a dream. I’m here.” 

She curled against him again, sobbing into his chest as he continued to hush her with comfort, sending comfort through their link to calm her as much as possible. Fuck, what the fuck could she had been dreaming about that was that scary?

~~

Kaleen was more embarrassed to awake cuddled against Macready after that horrible nightmare than she was waking up after drunkenly kissing him. A part of her wished that had stayed in Nuka World but her nightmares plagued her still. She sat herself up in bed, clothes slightly damp from her sweat. 

Macready’s arm came behind her, hand gently rubbing her back. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. They can get pretty bad. I can get a separate room.”

“No. Nightmares are not your fault. I’m not mad about it, I’m worried about you. What did you dream about?”

“Usually I dream about when I was sold off to the raider gang that liked little girls when I was ten. Those were some dark years. I tried to kill myself when I was twelve but obviously, failed.” She laughed it off. “Are you sure? I have caps, I can pay for my own room.”

“No. I don’t want you to. I like waking up with you here. You haven’t had a lot of good moments in your life, have you?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Not until I got mated.” She looked down at him and smiled. “Both times.” His boyish grin stirred something inside of her. She was really starting to like the man, not sure if it was biology or not, but fuck it. She was feeling a need for closeness this morning, a need for affection and physicality. 

She laid back down next to him, rewarded when he laid on his side, propping his head on his arm. His hand went to her waist, kneading softly. She cupped his cheek, and moved in to press a sweet kiss to him. He hadn’t kissed her since the night they got drunk, and she wanted his hands on her, all over her. 

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue on her bottom lip before pressing it inside. Against her leg, she felt his hardened cock and smiled, pressing her hips to it and chuckling at his groan. “At least one of us had good dreams last night.”

“Don’t blame my dick for being hard when I wake up with you laying on me.”

“So you do want me?”

“Of course, I told you it wouldn’t change when we woke up the next day, and it hasn’t.”

“You haven’t tried anything since.”

“I am just trying to give you space, is all. When something happens between us, I want it to be only between us. No ghosts of mates past, not you trying to get over someone else.”

She didn’t know what caused her to say it, but it was probably the honesty flowing between them. “I have only had sex, willing sex, one time.”

“Willing sex?”

“You know, where I agreed to do it.”

His hand came to her face and that dark part inside of her expected a slap and she flinched. “Don’t do that. I’m not ever going to hit you, you understand me? Only one time?”

She nodded. “It was with my mate, shortly before he died. So I am not very experienced.”

“That’s okay. I was only with my mate, but we did have sex more than once,” he smirked. 

She couldn’t meet his eyes, just looked down at his chest. “Do you think less of me for it?”

“For what? Only having sex one time, or having spent your slave years being raped by raiders?” 

His honest wording almost made her wince. “Both?”

“No. I don’t think less of you for it. Neither was something in your control. It’s okay.” He tilted her chin to look up at him. “Don’t think less of yourself for it, okay?”

She nodded, and he held her chin to bring her in for another kiss, more passionate this time. Her arms went around his neck, holding him close, their bodies pushed together. Slowly, like maybe he was unsure of what her reaction would be, he reached a hand down to press his palm against her breast through her shirt, making her gasp and the nipple harden against him immediately. 

“Responsive, huh?” he smiled against her lips. 

She didn’t answer, just moaned out when he pushed against the nipple with his thumb. Lust flowed through the link between them both and for the first time, she didn’t even feel nervous. Not like with Savoy, where the whole time she worried that he would hurt her. 

Macready wouldn’t hurt her, not ever. That affirmation stuck to her brain, stayed there. Even though the dark part of her mind tried to tell her otherwise, for once she didn’t believe it. She imagined Macready would be sweet, gentle. 

She was surprised when he suddenly pushed her onto her back, laying on top of her and propping himself on an elbow, his other hand pressing all over her. Maybe they shouldn’t do this? Maybe it was too soon? It wasn’t like Nuka World where they risked dying at any moment, and had to move fast in life to be able to live it. But she didn’t want to stop. She wanted him on top of her, pushing into her, fucking her until they were both breathless. 

Maybe it was too soon, but fuck they are mates, and that is what mates do. 

His hand had traveled down below her waist, gently pressing into her folds. Her hips rose up to meet his hand, her legs opening in an invitation. His chapped lips continued to move on hers, holding her hostage beneath them. When he felt how wet she was, he groaned against her mouth. “Fuck.”

His finger traced around her clit, his calloused finger almost bashful. A moan escaped her lips as she bent her knee, moving her leg to the side and opening herself even more for him. He pulled away, his finger still making circles against her pussy, and looked down at her. “You sure you want me?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, hold on then.”

With no warning two fingers went inside of her, fucking her fast and hard. He didn’t need to look for the sensitive spot, he found it immediately. Kaleen’s hips lifted off the bed, her head thrown back as a hot coil immediately began to form deep within her stomach. His palm came up to rub her clit while he fucked her, and as her moans became cries his mouth crashed down on hers. 

His kiss was an attack of teeth, tongue, and lips, just rough enough to match what his hand was doing to her. Her hands could just lift to his biceps, her nails digging in as her orgasm approached quick and hard. There was no sweet coaxing, none of that. He was demanding that she come on his hand, which she did without warning. 

As her pussy tightened and spasmed around him, her head thrown back and back arching, he groaned against her throat, biting at her pulse as her waves of orgasm crashed. As she came down from it, her body relaxed but her nails still dug into his arms. “Fuck, RJ.” was all she could say as he positioned himself between her legs, yanking her knees so that her legs wrapped around him. 

Lining himself up, he brought his lips down for another sweet kiss as he pushed inside her, slowly. He was thrusting in and out, slowly making his way inside her, groaning as she tightened around him. “You feel amazing, Kaleen. Fuck.” He whispered against her throat. All the way inside her, he looked down at her. Grabbing her hands, he lifted her wrists above her head, holding them there as he started thrusting. 

The way he was holding her down was doing something for her, and she had a feeling he knew it. He said a hard pace. Keeping it slow until she got used to his size. Once she hooked her feet behind him, wrapped around his waist, he started moving faster, thrusting hard with each stroke, bottoming out in her. 

He was grunting with the effort, sweat dripping down his back, and she cried out as another orgasm began to grow inside of her. “I can feel that. Fuck, you feel amazing when you are about to come.”

His dirty talk was another surprise, but that was doing it for her, too. As her orgasm crept closer, she began crying out his name like a prayer on her lips. He moved his hands from her wrists, intertwining their fingers together as he still held them over her head, picking up the pace and fucking her faster. 

Stars exploded behind her eyelids as she came apart under him, and he didn’t stop. “Yeah, come for me. Fuck.” He didn’t stop, didn’t slow. Kept the same hard and fast pace, then after a few minutes he suddenly pulled out, grasping his cock in his hand and coming on her stomach. 

“Fuck.”

Out of breath, he leaned down to kiss her, then reached over the bed for a shirt on the ground to wipe her off with. He threw the shirt off to the side, and collapsed down next to her, pulling her to his chest. 

She couldn’t help her insecurity. “Was it any good?”

He looked down at her, shocked, then laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

Kaleen laid on Macready’s chest, out of breath and conflicted. She felt happy, excited, almost loved? But a part of her felt guilty. Having sex with her new mate so soon felt like she was cheating on Savoy, even though he was no longer her mate. 

Macready must have felt it, because his hand came down to cup her cheek and he frowned at her flinch. “It is normal to feel guilty, alright? I am sorry if it was too soon.” He sighed, and rubbed his face with his other hand. “This is my fault, I shouldn’t have pressured you.”

Kaleen stared at him. “You didn’t pressure me at all, I wanted to. I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize. It was amazing, and I wanted to. But I should have shown restraint. This is what I get for thinking with my dick.”

Kaleen’s heart fell. A part of her had hoped it was more than sex, that it was two mates connecting together. Obviously it wasn’t that for Macready. He just wanted to get laid. She was okay with that. If that is what it took to be close, to get affection, she could let him use her.

She sat up, her back to him. She didn’t want to be any more of a nuisance. He wanted sex, they had sex, now she should just give him space. She felt a pang in her chest about it but pushed it away, buried it. Ignore that she thought it was more and he didn’t want more. He loved his ex-wife, and by the way he talked about her, Kaleen knew she would never measure up. 

Macready didn’t say anything to her. His hand came up to brush down her back, and Kaleen got up and went to the bathroom to clean up. She didn’t want him to feel obligated about any find of affections. He touched her so she wasn’t in pain, and he fucked her. That would have to be enough. 

She sat on the toilet, thinking about how much she had changed as a person, as a woman, the past couple of weeks. She cleaned herself off and got clothes, getting dressed and sitting at the table. 

Macready sighed, going into the bathroom and coming out some time later fully dressed. He turned to her and Kaleen couldn’t discern the emotions he had through the link. There was hurt, guilt, and embarrassment? Fuck, he was embarrassed that he fucked her. Shit. The pang in her chest got bigger. 

“Hey, Kaleen. I can feel that. What’s wrong?”

She didn’t look up. “That is a two way link, you know. I can feel what you feel, too.”

“I just feel bad, I didn’t-”

She put her hand up. “I get it, Macready. No need for further explanation.” Fuck, why was this hurting her so much? Probably because she wanted him to actually like her, really like her, because she really liked him. 

“Kaleen, I-”

“Don’t. It’s fine.”

Kaleen felt irritation and some anger on the link, and he just put his boots on. “I’m going to the Third Rail.”

She didn’t say goodbye when he left. 

She sat there for a long time, her mind just not shutting the fuck up. So much happened to her, so much that made her change. It was hard to think that just a couple of weeks ago she was a quiet and shy slave. She remembered when Savoy told her, “And I think I am just the right man for you” and boy, those words were correct.

Savoy helped change her, helped her evolve. They were not mated for long and he wasn’t a good person, or a good man, but he made her break out of her cocoon and grow as a person, a woman. Too bad Macready hadn’t mated her before Savoy, she figured he would have liked her as a slave. 

She got bored of sitting there feeling sorry for herself. This is just how it is now. Macready wasn’t a bad man, he would take care of her as a mate would. The sex was good. The sex was surprising.Macready holding her down, fucking her hard with his fingers then takiing her wrists while he fucked her was, well, unexpected. She wondered what else he would be into. 

She pushed away the lust, he didn’t need to know she was feeling that. She needed to work on controlling her emotions better. Putting on shoes, she decided to go to the Third Rail. She didn’t need Macready for company, there were people in the bar she could mingle with. At least that's what she told herself. She was going to have some fun, not to see Macready. 

Stepping into the bar, there was a fair amount of people in there. She saw Macready, his back was to her as he sat at the bar. Kaleen smiled and went to approach him, but stopped. Standing next to him was a woman, fucking gorgeous woman. She had her hand on Macready’s back, was talking into his ear. She watched her mate smile at the woman, and they chatted together for a minute. Kaleen’s heart fell. 

The woman had beautiful blonde hair that fell around her shoulders. Kaleen raised her fingers to touch her own long, curly hair that was wild and untameable. The woman had on a lovely red dress that clung to all of her curves. Kaleen looked down at herself, wearing dirty denim cut offs that frayed at the ends, a little too short so the cellulite on her upper thigh was just visible. Her fingers traced the scars and other marks on her body. 

“Hey Sunshine, you shouldn’t compare yourself to her,” a low voice said behind her. Kaleen turned, and there was a ghoul wearing some kind of costume. “I don’t think we have met. John Hancock, Mayor of Goodneighbor.”

Kaleen turned around and gave him a smile. “You are the mayor I hear so much about. Kaleen, sir.” She stuck out her hand to shake. 

Hancock brought it up to his lips, and gently pressed a kiss to her knuckle that made her giggle. “Come have a drink with me.”

Kaleen glanced sideways at Macready, then decided if he wants to flirt with anyone he wants, she can, too. Macready apparently has decided they are not exclusive, so why not? Kaleen never had anyone flirt or pay attention to her before. She followed Hancock to a small table in the corner, dimly lit. 

He set out a glass for her and poured her a drink. “So what are you doing in my town, sister?”

“I’m not entirely sure, actually. Starting a new life, I guess.”

“Is that so? What would you like to do with this new life?”

Kaleen’s face fell because she didn’t have an answer. “I… don’t know. I don’t know who I am, or what I like.”

Hancock’s kind eyes searched her face, then his hand found hers on the table. “How long were you a slave for, doll?”

Barely above a whisper she said, “All my life.”

His hand came up to cup her cheek and she flinched away, even though she tried not to. “Sunshine… You are safe here, alright?”

She nodded into his hand. “I have been told that about your town.” She threw back the drink and Hancock chuckled, pouring her another. “What should I do?” She found herself asking this man that was practically a stranger.

“You need to learn about yourself. Do different things, see what you like to do. Get out of your comfort zone and try something new, and right now everything is going to be new for you. You will get there.” He leaned forward in his seat, moving closer to her. “And I meant what I said earlier, don’t compare yourself to that woman.”

Kaleen blushed and looked down in her lap. “I know, she is more woman than I am.” Her fingers traced the pink welt on her thigh, a scar from a whip from years before. 

“You look different from her, yes. She was raised in Diamond City. A life of comfort. She works here now, but she has never known hardship. She flits from man to man, letting them take care of her. You? You have known nothing but pain and suffering. You look different because you are a strong woman who has had to fight to survive. Your scars are a reminder of the fact that you survived, and will continue to do so. Do not compare yourself to her because,” his hand cupped her cheek as a tear fell, “You are incomparable.”

Kaleen had no idea what to say. Another tear fell, and Hancock leaned over and give a quick, gentle peck on her cheek where the tear fell, and leaned back to wipe it away. Suddenly through the link, Kaleen felt a strong pang of jealousy and anger. She looked up, and there was Macready. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Hancock. He had no right to be jealous when he was flirting himself. 

Hancock was paying attention to her, being kind to her, and he didn’t have to. He wasn’t linked to her as a mate. Kaleen finished her drink when another woman walked up to the table, plopping down in the seat next to Hancock. “Wooing another lady, my love?”

She stuck out a hand to Kaleen. “Scarlett, Hancock’s mate.”

Kaleen smiled, quickly wiping the tears from her face. “Kaleen, so nice to meet you. I have heard a lot of good things about the town.”

Hancock smiled and leaned over to Scarlett. “She is new in town, former slave. I think she is going to need some help.”

Scarlett clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, fun! What do you like to do?”

Kaleen was surprised, because she was sure Hancock had been flirting with her, but his mate was as friendly as him so she just allowed herself to get swept up in the excitement. Macready had left the bar just after she felt the jealousy. “I don’t know, Hancock and I were just talking about that. I don’t even know where to start to figure it out. I do like to read, I know that much.”

Scarlett laughed. “Hancock here does, too. You should come by the State House sometime, he has a ton of books in there. He pops some mentats and thinks he is an intellectual.” Scarlett then turn to Hancock. “Oh, we should set her up on a date!”

“Oh, I probably shouldn’t.”

Scarlett turned to Kaleen. “It doesn’t have to be anything serious, something friendly.”

Kaleen looked down in her lap and confessed. “I have a mate.”

“Oh? Who? Is he here?”

She whispered, “Macready.”

It was Hancock’s turn to groan. “Oh, I get it now. Sunshine, he would never-”

Kaleen put up her hand. “It’s fine, we aren’t exclusive. It’s just biology.”

“Uh, Sunshine, I am pretty sure that Macready wouldn’t be okay with that.”

Kaleen looked over at the beautiful woman that was talking to another man, hand on her hip and her lips in a pout. She looked at her and remembered how Macready was talking to her. “I am sure that he is okay with it.” Through the link, Kaleen was still getting jealousy and irritation. “I am going to head back, I need some air.” She said her goodbyes and headed back to the room, stepping slowly. Feeling his anger, her old fears started creeping up. That dark fear. 

~~

Macready was fucking pissed. When he saw Hancock with his hands on Kaleen, and she fucking leaned into him, his anger flared up. He knew she felt it, but she didn’t do anything about it, didn’t walk away from Hancock. He knew she could feel his anger, because he felt her fear. 

Shit. He hadn’t meant to make her afraid. But he was pissed, and that is just something she is going to have to deal with. She can’t live in fear all of the time, and he wouldn’t hurt her. He felt her making her way back to their room. The doorknob turned, and she slowly stepped inside. He got right to it. “What the fuck, Kaleen?”

Her face was blank and didn’t show the fear he knew she felt. “What do you mean?”

He growled, stepping closer to her. “You are my mate. Mine. That doesn’t give you the right to go flirting with other men, letting them put their hands on you.”

She scoffed at him. “Please, you were okay with that woman flirting with you, so why can’t I have some fun?”

He was confused. What woman? “Who was flirting with me?”

“Oh, you are just going to play dumb. Look, it’s fine, alright? You don’t want to be exclusive. I get it, I wouldn’t want to be mated to me, either.” Macready was slowly making his way to her, his anger getting worse. “But, with not being exclusive, it isn't right that you get to do what you want and I can’t.”

He was seething. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He was right in front of her, and she kept backing away from him until she was pinned in front of the large dresser. 

She rolled her eyes. “I saw you flirting with that woman, the beautiful one in the red dress. It’s fine, I understand. She is so much more than I am, I am not judging you for it. But you can’t get mad at me for doing the same thing you did.”

Macready pinned her in front of the dresser, an arm on either side, leaning forward so he was right in front of her face. “I wasn’t flirting with her. I am not interested in her. She works in the bar, I see her a lot. She is easy, and flirts with every man in the place. I am friendly with her because if I told her what I really think of her, it would be awkward in the bar for me and I don’t want that. I have to stay there every day to get jobs, so I have to tolerate her.”

He pushed himself against her. “I didn’t like you talking to Hancock like that. The man is charming, charismatic. Before he was mated he could charm the pants off any woman who came in there. He still flirts and shit. I didn’t like his hands, or his lips, on you.”

“He was nice to me, Macready. It was nice for a man to be nice and pay attention to me, and not have to do it because biology said so.”

That wasn’t making his anger or jealousy ease up at all. “What, so I am not enough for you?”

“That’s not what I meant. But you are only this way because of biology, because nature is forcing you to.”

That made Macready lean back a bit. So it was just insecurity? Did she really think that? “Kaleen, that isn’t true.”

She just shook her head. “Don’t lie to me. I’m sorry I am not better, that I am not pretty and soft and-”

Macready shut her up when he crashed his mouth down on hers. Fuck, he didn’t want to listen to this shit anymore. She didn’t push him off, her hands went to his shoulders as he pushed her back against the dresser, hands gripping her hips in a tight grasp. 

He pulled away from her, slightly, so they could both catch their breath. “You don’t have to do this, it’s okay. I understand-”

He shut her up again, this time his hands travelling all over her. Fuck, how she felt in his hands. He broke away from her to tear off her shirt, hands coming down to grope her breasts, removing her bra in one motion that he was a bit proud of. 

Her arms came up to cover herself and he growled, pulling her wrists and gripping them down at her sides. When he was sure she wouldn’t try that again, he let his hands roam over her. Gentle, this time. His calloused fingertips dragging on her skin down her sides. He reached her waist, and he groaned. “This spot? Right her?” His fingertips were digging into the spot on her waist that dipped in before the wide curve of her hips. “I love this spot. I love how it feels in my hands.” He gripped her there, digging his fingers in again. 

He felt her gasp, and lust from the link, before she wiped it away. He didn’t like that shit at all. Without warning, he unzipped her shorts and yanked them down, leaving her in her panties. His hands roamed behind her back, hands moving down to get two handfuls of her ass. “Fuck, this here? Watching you walk, bend over, fuck. Drives me wild.” 

He knelt down in front of her, his hands on her thighs. “And this. Fuck, you have such strong, beautiful legs.” He looked up at her, and she was blushing, looking away from him. He looked at her body, her legs. All the scars. The thin white lines and the thick pink welts. He ran his tongue along one large one that went down her inner thigh.”And these. All of these. Every single one of them.”

“My… my scars?”

“Mmm. You are strong, and have been through hell in your life. I don’t want a soft mate. I don’t want a woman who has had an easy life, who doesn’t know what work is. If I wanted that, I could have courted many women around here and Diamond City. I didn’t, though. I don’t want that.” He stood up again, looking into her eyes. Those fucking huge eyes, almost getting lost in the gold flecks that floated in them. “But I don’t. I don’t live an easy life, it just seems easier to you because you have had it harder. I am a hot headed, stubborn asshole who makes caps killing people. I thought you were beautiful before we finished the connection.”

That made her look up at him. “Really?”

“Hmm. When you looked up at me with those sad eyes, and I saw you, got a good look at you, and I felt the pain you were feeling, fuck.” His hand went up to cup her cheek and he almost growled at the flinch. He wished she would stop doing that. “I wanted to kill whoever hurt a woman like you.”

He was pleased when she leaned into his touch. “Good, now we got that out of the way. Now onto the other issue.” His hand went back, gripping her neck. Not hard, not enough to hurt. “I don’t like other men putting their hands on you.”

“I’m sorry.”

He crashed his mouth down on hers again, letting her feel his lust through the link. “I mean it, Kaleen. I am not going to flirt with other women, and I expect the same from you.” He pushed his hips against hers. He needed to get out some of his aggression. Between seeing Hancock touching her, and her thinking that he didn’t want her, he was pent up. 

He turned her around, her back to him. He pulled her to his chest and pressed kisses to her throat, a hand at her waist and a hand squeezing her breast, rubbing the hardened nipple between his fingers. He pushed his hard cock against her ass, holding her against him. 

He paid attention to the link. The fear was subsiding, and he was getting lust across the link from her. Good. He didn’t want her afraid of him, he didn’t want her to think he would ever hurt her. Ever so slightly, she pushed her ass against him and took the invitation. He cupped her chin to turn and look at him as he kissed her, then grabbed her shoulder and pushed her down, bent over the dresser. 

He kicked her foot out, opening her legs just a little. Still checking their link to make sure there was no fear, he got a good look at her bent over in front of him. As gently as he could manage right now, he ran a finger over her slit. 

Drenched. “Fuck, you are already so fucking wet for me.” He felt the shiver in her body and smirked. He pushed two fingers inside of her, then pulled them out (smiling at her whimper) and ran them to her clit, giving it a good rub. 

She pushed her hips back against him, and he got a grip on her hip. “No. Stay still.” She gasped at the order. A hand on her clit still rubbing, he took his cock out that was already dripping with precum. He pressed the head of it against her slit, running it up and down. Her hips moved back against him just slightly, and he brought a hand down to deliver a light smack to her ass. “I said stay still.” The moan that escaped her mouth when he smacked her did not go unnoticed. Fuck. Yes. 

He lined himself up to her, and slowly pushed his way in, giving her time to stretch to him. He didn’t want to hurt her, even on accident. She gasped as he pushed in, and moaned once he was all the way in, his hips against her ass. “Fuck, Kaleen.” He stayed there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of her cunt tightening on his cock. He pulled out slightly a few times, slowly thrusting back in, enjoying the sound of how wet she was already. 

Then, he pulled out all the way, and slammed back in hard. She cried out, collapsing down onto her elbows, making her ass stick up father at him. He held onto her hips, driving in and out hard, making sure to slam back in as far as he could, taking advantage of the new angle. “You don’t flirt with other men, you got it?” She just moaned out, taking him in every thrust. “You are mine. My mate. I am not looking at others, and I expect the same from you.” 

She was panting at this point, and he picked up the pace, thrusting faster. “I will be the only one to be with you. Do you understand me? I don’t fucking share.”

Grabbing onto her hair and gently pulling, he pulled her back up so that she was standing against him as he pounded into her. His hand went to her nipples, his mouth to her throat. He grabbed her chin and pulled her face to him. “Tell me you understand. I want you, and you are mine. I will always take care of you, and I will never hurt you.” 

“Yes.” was all she could say between moans, and he crashed his mouth down on her again, muffling her cries. 

“Good. Now make yourself come.” He saw the blush on her, and she seemed confused. “With your hand.”

She lifted her hand like she was unsure of what he wanted. Still pounding into her, her took her hand, and placed it over her clit. He placed his hand on top of hers, and led her hand to rub her clit, to press on all the spots she liked. He directed her hand only for a moment and she got the idea, and started to furiously rub herself. 

It didn’t take long before he felt the telltale tightening of her cunt around him. “Just like that. I want to feel you come on my cock. Keep going.”

She began crying out, and he pushed her forward again, getting a deep angle in her as she continued to get herself off. Then she cried out, her hand stilling over her as a rush of wet went over his cock and she spasmed around him. “Don’t stop moving your hand, keep going.” She did as he said and cried out as the orgasm was drawn out. 

He felt himself getting close. He didn’t want to come in her, not yet. They were not ready for children. She tightened around him one more time and that was enough for him. He pulled out, holding his cock as he came on her ass, keeping her bent over so that he could see her wet cunt dripping down her thighs and his come streaked across her. 

Out of breath, he pulled her up again. He turned her face to him again. “I meant it. You are mine, alright?”

She looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

He cupped her cheek so she looked up at him. “I’m not looking for an apology. Now you know and understand, okay?” He took her in his arms. “And I meant it. I will take care of you.” He grabbed a rag off the counter, wiping the come off her. He pulled her around in his arms. “I promise, alright?” He lifted his hand to brush hair out of her face when she flinched away. “Please, try to stop doing that. It kills me every time. I would never, ever hit you. Even if I was really mad, okay?”

She nodded, then pushed herself against him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. “I am sorry, though. For making assumptions.”

“It’s okay. Look, just talk to me about shit, alright? I feel like I am a fairly understanding guy. Just talk to me about it, don’t go letting Hancock flirt with you.”

That got a laugh out of her. “He is really flirtatious, huh?”

“Yeah, I meant it when I said dude could charm the pants off any woman, and he did before his mate.”

She bent over to pick up one of his large shirts to put on, and he enjoyed the view while she did. “His mate is really nice, though.”

“Scarlett? Yeah, she is alright. Kind of snobby sometimes but she is from Diamond City.”

She sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor. Macready kneeled in front of her, hands on her knees. “I meant everything I said. I think you are beautiful, and I don’t wish for anyone else to be my mate.”

That fucking smile she gave him? Worth fucking everything. “Now, get up and get dressed. I wanna go have a drink with my girl.”


End file.
